Health, Safety and Environment | Admanthos Shipping Inc

Petroleum products are flammable, some are toxic, and all of them harm the water they spill into. The rules of this industry were mostly written after something went badly wrong.

What makes this work hazardous

Hazard	How it happens	Main controls
Vapor cloud fire and explosion	Gasoline vapor is heavier than air and can travel to an ignition source far from the leak.	Overfill prevention, leak detection, ignition control, remote isolation valves
Static electricity	Fast-flowing product builds charge, which can ignite vapor when it discharges.	Bonding and grounding, slower initial flow rates, and waiting periods before gauging
Hydrogen sulfide	Heavy fuels and sour products release toxic gas into tank headspaces. It can deaden the sense of smell.	Personal gas monitors, standing upwind when opening hatches, closed gauging
Benzene exposure	Gasoline contains benzene, a known carcinogen, and exposure can occur during sampling and gauging.	Closed sampling, respiratory protection, exposure monitoring
Confined spaces	Tanks can have too little oxygen or too much vapor. Rescuers have died along with the people they tried to save.	Entry permits, gas testing, ventilation and a rescue plan before anyone enters
Spills to water	Overfills, hose failure or a damaged hull.	Containment booms, drip trays, response contractors and regular drills

A line of black rail tank cars, the nearest showing a red hazard placard — UN number 1267 on a hazard placard identifies petroleum crude oil, so responders know what they are dealing with before they get close.

Four incidents that changed the industry

These events are public record, and every operator should know them. None involved Admanthos.

1989
Exxon Valdez, Prince William Sound, Alaska
The tanker grounded on Bligh Reef and spilled about 11 million gallons of crude oil into a remote, sensitive environment.
Led to the US Oil Pollution Act of 1990, including the phase-in of double hulls, vessel and facility response plans and greater liability for spillers.
2005
Buncefield, Hertfordshire, England
A gasoline tank overfilled when its level gauge stuck and the independent high-level switch did not work. The vapor cloud that formed then exploded, causing one of Europe's largest peacetime fires.
Showed that vapor clouds can explode with far greater force than expected, and that compounds must also contain firefighting water.
2009
Caribbean Petroleum, Bayámon, Puerto Rico
A tank overfilled during a transfer from a ship, at a site where level instruments were unreliable. The resulting explosion shook the surrounding area, and fires burned for days.
The US Chemical Safety Board's findings reinforced the need for reliable, independent overfill protection and better standards at storage terminals.
2019
ITC, Deer Park, Texas
A leak from a tank's circulation system ignited and spread through a tank compound, and the fire burned for days. The site had no flammable gas detection on the line and no remote isolation valves on the tanks.
Remote isolation and gas detection are especially important at tank farms where tanks stand close together.

A refinery's banded stacks lit against the evening sky — Refineries and terminals handle flammable product around the clock. Their safety systems must work every day, including when nothing appears to be wrong.

Controls that should be routine

Authority to stop work

Anyone should be able to stop a job they think is unsafe, without penalty. If a schedule can overrule that, the rule means little.

Permit to work

Hot work, tank entry and line breaking all need a written permit that identifies the hazards and isolations before starting.

Management of change

A new product, altered line or temporary bypass can break assumptions built into the original design, so each should be reviewed first.

Near-miss reporting

Small events point to larger ones. A reporting culture depends on people trusting that they will not be blamed for reporting.

Testing protective systems

Overfill alarms, emergency valves and fire pumps are rarely needed, so they must be tested on a schedule to prove they still work.

A worker in overalls holding a hard hat at their side — Protective equipment is the last line of defense, after engineering and procedural controls.

Aerial view of a tanker under way on bright blue water — Clean water like this is what spill prevention protects. Most response planning is done long before it is needed.

When there is a spill

In the US, a spill to navigable waters must be reported immediately to the National Response Center, and larger tank vessels and facilities must have response plans that name a qualified individual and contracted response resources.

The first minutes count most. Stop the source, shut the valves, alert the terminal and the vessel, and deploy any boom in place. Cleanup can last for months, so plans need to include wildlife, shoreline and community concerns as well as the oil on the water.

Overhead view of tanks inside walled compounds, next to a truck parking area — Tank compounds are surrounded by containment walls and drain through controlled systems, under federal and state rules.

Rules and standards

Which rules apply depends on the vessel, the facility, the product and the location.
Reference	Covers
SOLAS and the ISM Code	International ship safety, and safety management systems for shipping companies
MARPOL Annex I and VI	Oil pollution from ships, and air emissions
ISGOTT	Industry guidance on the safe operation of oil tankers and terminals
OPA 90	US oil spill prevention, response plans and liability
33 CFR Parts 154 to 156	US Coast Guard rules for oil transfer facilities, vessels and transfer operations
40 CFR Part 112	EPA spill prevention rules (SPCC) and facility response plans
29 CFR 1910.106 and 1910.119	OSHA rules for flammable liquids and process safety management
NFPA 30	Flammable and combustible liquids code
API 650, 653 and 2350	Tank construction, tank inspection and overfill protection

For HSE questions or vetting requests, contact the Stamford office.

Health, safety and the environment